Workplace and Working Environment Substance

¶ … Workplace and Working Environment

Substance Abuse

Imagine studying substance abuse from a workplace perspective. This is a dire issue that a person will encounter when at work on a regular basis. One will have to deal with people who will want to become rebellious if they do not get their way and risk termination for not complying with policy and procedure. By studying substance abuse, one will understand in depth substance abuse with the effects of it in the workplace and ways in which to solve the issue.

In one's workplace, substance abuse is an issue worth addressing. This is what he or she will have noticed in their own work environment. On many occasions, one has seen many co-workers of mine in my work setting choosing to smoke while on the job, but they do this in designated areas. The issue arises when people actually have to endure the second-hand smoke. One can easily be detoured by the smell because it can become an issue that an individual does not want to endure at any time, especially since I am not a smoker (American Council for Drug Education's Facts for Employers, 1999).

For example, sometimes my co-workers become my friends, so we choose to eat lunch together. We both bring our food outside, and then we eat. After my co-worker is done eating, an individual notice immediately that she begins smoking. This repels me, but I try and do everything possible to get and know the other person, but not to the point in which I have to deal with her awful habits. An individual is known sometimes for finding an excuse to get away from the smoke. As a result, he or she chooses to do this most of the time. Most of my co-workers do not catch on to my excuses but some do. When one does, I tell them the truth, but I do not avoid it at that point. However, one will strive to do everything possible to save that friendship, so that we can continue to work together as a team, and not let it affect our work (American Council for Drug Education's Facts for Employers, 1999).

What is interesting is that employers are known to do random checks on substance abuse. Since smoking is considered substance abuse, many of my co-workers complain frequently to my boss, which is the charge nurse. The rules are clear that my work does not allow for this to take place, whether it is smoking or drinking. However, one has had workers checked and they have lost their job because of it. Many of them tell us before they leave what happened to me, but in reality saw it coming, but could not do anything about it because they chose to keep smoking while at work and putting others at risk (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2011).

A person knows that people are allowed to have their right to smoke in the workplace. The issue arises when it affects co-workers and customers. One has heard of customers complaining of them smelling smoke from my co-workers. However, the opposite occurs as well, sometimes people condone this behavior and actually take the time to encourage the person to keep up their horrendous habit. Regardless, two extremes are present, and he or she will encounter both on a regular basis (Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2011).

On many occasions, my own co-workers have tempted me to start smoking marijuana by offering to me at my workplace. An individual knows that they are acting respectful towards me; however, one might feel offended when someone asks me about smoking with them because he or she knows that one is doing harm to his or her body if he or she take part in this awful act. What is ironic is that my co-workers have studied what a person's body looks like when it comes to smoking and have studied in depth what will happen when someone does this for a plethora of year. This is something that makes me wonder why he or she went in to the medical field in the beginning. The choice is up to them on harming their body. He or she knows with many it helps to relieve stress, and many others they choose to smoke around their friends. Maybe attention has some aspect to it, but they are doing it for a number of reasons, and is sure many factors go into it as well (United States Department of Labor, 2011).

The next issue worth mentioning in one's workplace is that of alcohol. He or she hears of many of my co-workers who choose to go to work drunk, or actually make the effort have a party the night before and make sure it is out of the system before taking care of patients the next day. Many of my co-workers come to work talking about how much fun they had the night before, and I was feeling alienated because of them bashing others and talking of how drunk they were. He or she guesses for some reason they think it is fun to harm their body which is quite disturbing and dysfunctional. Their choice is theirs, despite me not understanding what is going on in their mind; this will not change how he or she views the other person. Until then, one will continue to set the example for them in hopes they will stop their horrible habits (University of Phoenix, 2011).

He or she will experience debates with my co-workers on this issue as well. They believe that drinking is no different than the patients receiving drugs from the doctors and nurses to get them well; therefore, they justify their behavior based off this reasoning. One does not see where my co-workers are coming from because it makes perfect sense; however, this can make a hostile environment when one is defying authority, especially from the employer policy. Many would find grounds in which to dismiss the person from the facility and their position for discussing their horrible habits to their co-workers, and then later choosing to bring it to their boss. He or she views this as unprofessional because of their choice to not respect others through the entire process.

Every employer has the right in which to conduct a urine analysis randomly on their employees when they least expect it. The same applies here with alcohol. If the organization suspects that a person has come to work with alcohol, then they can make them take a drug test whether they want to or not. Well, one has seen people lose their position within the company, and I feel sorry for them, but one cannot make them do poor choices; they are the ones that have to make things right with whoever is over them at that particular time (United States Department of Labor, 2011).

The last area of substance abuse is that of chewing tobacco. On many occasions, one will have co-workers randomly chewing this in between patients, yet the hospital does not care when people do this in front of others. When they put it on one side of the check on suck on it is quite disgusting. Many of my co-workers act as if they do not care about other people's feeling when chewing it in front of others. Sometimes those in management tell them to not to do this in front of people, but the person will choose to disrespect the other through this confrontation. As a result, I have seen people lose their position within the company, and this is devastating because of one person not wanting to comply with policy (Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2011).

Since management can check for drug abuse in the workplace, the employer works does this on many occasions has done this to those who choose to act unprofessional to those who are seeking to do this on the job. Despite the fact that the co-worker will come to the person with much resistance, he or she has to comply. On many occasions, one was asked randomly to do a drug test, so I do it without complaining, and of course, nothing shows up because one does not chew either. An individual is clean of drugs and want to keep it that way because one know what can happen to me if I take part in this horrendous act to harm my body. This is my choice and the same applies to my co-workers as well. They can choose to stop their habits at any time, but once one starts they have a hard time stopping. At this point an addiction has occurred, sometimes people end up going to rehabilitation after experiencing trouble with the law and their work during this process. One has experienced this with his or her co-workers because after they get caught many of them end up this type of facility, and this makes it a difficult time for a person to recover from their habit; in the end, their efforts are worth it because of the accountability and the opportunity to improve his or her life (American Council for Drug Education's Facts for Employers, 1999).

An individual has many recommendations in which to solve these issues in the workplace. Well, since the law was passed in which to not allow smoking on the premises, this has reduced complaints from customers at my workplace. One is not exposed to the smell in which people have on them after smoking marijuana, and I no longer have to endure it second-hand. In essence, this has provided me with much relief, and for that one thankful that my state passed this. However, other issues have arisen since then. People are continuing on in this horrible habit but in secret and away from those in management (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2011).

One has many suggestions that my workplace needs to consider when dealing with people are defiant and not wanting to comply with policy. They need to have cameras in those locations in which the people were allowed to smoke, and have it up and have an individual to monitor them constantly. If anyone is caught, then consequences follow. He or she may not like it at the time, but when the days pass hopefully the person is thankful for the results as well as the self-awareness that comes with it (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2011).

These are the specific policies that one recommends. 1) Any person with a urine analysis (UA), he or she is not allowed to work for the rest of the day, and a taxi is immediately called for the person's safety. 2) For the second offense, a person has to get written up and a taxi is called for the person to go home. 3) The third offense, a person is confronted by everyone in management through a formal meeting, and they review the case; the person is then suspended from their position 4) At this last offense, the individual no longer has a position with the hospital because of the fact that he or she chose to behave unprofessionally and came to work under the influence, which is against company policy and procedure (Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2011).

As one can tell, these policies are quite harsh, yet the person is provided many opportunities to repent of their actions and to make things right without losing his or her job. Not every person will see this as an opportunity for growth, but hopefully he or she is able to reap the benefits from the company and learn their lessons the first time around without facing management in a formal setting. Anyone can find this intimidating for letting their behavior go this far, especially at the risk of losing his or her job. This should make the individual become clear of what he or she did was wrong and to stop it immediately. However, all the other measures in which to stop it are enacted sooner rather than later because the person will hopefully change their ways before it gets too far out of hand (Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2011).

Here is another suggestion. The company can have people out in those locations at all hours of the night monitoring that part of the facility. This may actually intimidate the employee from attempting to break the rules of the company knowing that someone is physically out there watching his or her every move. One really believes this would make some level of difference. However, people do deserve breaks. At that point in time, the person can contact their replacement and make it plausible to have their fifteen minutes of their own personal time to go off campus or to wonder around the possible. Regardless, one is able to prevent the issue of coming up in the fact that one will try to break the rules. Since someone is able to monitor this part of the where the no-smoking and alcohol policy is in place, he or she is then able to not do something that is wrong on a regular basis. At least something is in place to prevent this from occurring again in the future, which can help the business from getting unnecessary fines from the state. In the end, people will break their habits and eventually, one will become a better person for it (American Council for Drug Education's Facts for Employers, 1999).

Another suggestion is for the hospital to provide training to those that are staff. This means that people will have to take classes within my work on what is expected of him or her as an employee, and the effects of dealing with substance abuse in the workplace. However, the organization needs to make sure that the videos one watches is as current as possible. For example, if the training video was dated back in October of 1990, an individual cannot gain much from it because the information is outdated (Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2011).